Professor William Webb

1. Professor William Webb Success Strategies in Wireless Innovation and Beyond

2. Defining innovation • “The successful exploitation of new ideas” – Technology Strategy Board, UK • Is all innovation good? (financial service?) • Do those who call for itactually want it and domuch to make it happen? • Not just technology – also process ideas, etc.

3. Does anyone know the magic formula? • If they did they’d be a constant innovator and very rich • I’m not (but am trying…) including Government, regulator, academia, large company and start-up • So don’t expect the answer but perhaps some stimulating insights

4. Does Goodhart’s Law apply? • So what is changing in the world?

5. Change 1: Innovation comes from individuals • Innovation often comes as a solution to a problem – good to be exposed to lots of real and hard problems.

6. Change 2: Start-ups generate most ideas • Less corporate R&D • Broad failure to get ideas out of corporate labs • Recognition of innovators’ dilemma • Better acquisition and integration of start-ups as a route to scale • Less military spending (led to many previous innovations). • (So why do we pay so much attention to what large companies say they’ll do?)

7. Change 3: The Internet changes everything • Spread messages • Speed change • Market ideas • Sell products

8. Change 4: The issue of the day (or decade) • Current problems include • Healthcare • Security • Energy • Congestion • But most “innovation” very incremental

9. Does innovation need a place? • Tempting to believe that the Internet means location is not important, however… • Clusters do make a difference • Recruitment • Facilities • Brand and image • Funding • Support organisations (eg conference companies) • Clusters favour small companies • Lots of exposure to hard problems • Experienced entrepreneurs make 3x difference to success rate

10. Telecoms has its own challenges • Difference between terminal and networks and the “two-ends” problem • Need for regulation • Barriers to entry • Domination by mobile operators • Need for more Government intervention

11. Weightless: An example of innovation? • White space as an enabler, plus for UK but need help to go global • Technical bit simple – it’s all about perception • Open standard, problems with current bodies, establishing a new one expensive but plausible with Internet • Problems with getting mobile operators to innovate – need a truly competitive telecoms market • Need a clear market, smart meters helps, other Government procurement for smart cities would be good • Clearer signs innovation will be promoted • (Interesting no large company in this space)

12. So what have we deduced so far? • Take an individual with all the right personal characteristics (inventive, experienced, optimistic, driven, persuasive) • Put them in the right environment (cluster, exposure to issues, VC community) • Pick something more than incremental but where barriers to entry etc are tractable (hard but not too hard) • Use new communications tools effectively (not necessarily excessively) – have PR team on board from start

13. What runs counter to standard belief • Not large companies (except Apple) • As much about PR as engineering • Locality is important despite “globalisation of Internet” • National regulation may be important • Engineering skills necessary but far from critical (need a better publicist than CTO)

14. A new role for Engineering Institutions? • Used to be all about dissemination of information, often research – and this is still needed • Now a bridge between local and global • A method of marketing and networking • A “professional home for life” to support the individual • A badge of respectability to provide credibility

15. In summary There’s no formula for innovation – you have to be innovative